Facts

Take a look at the question and answer format below to discover the key facts and figures about orangutans:

Firstly, what does the word ‘orangutan’ mean?

Orangutan means ‘person of the forest’. It originates from the Malay language, where orang means ‘people’ and hutan means ‘forest’.

Where do orangutans live?

Orangutans are only found in specific regions in the wild, Indonesia and Malaysia, specifically the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

How many species of orangutans are there?

Orangutans have evolved into two specifies, primarily based on where they live. These two species are the Sumatran Orangutan and the Bornean Orangutan.

How long do orangutans live for?

They can often live until they are over 40 years old.

What do orangutans eat?

Orangutans mainly eat fruit, with this compiling 65% of their diet. However, they are opportunistic and when fruit is in short supply they will turn to other forms of food. This includes birds eggs, tree bark, insects, honey, young leaves, and even soil in some circumstances.

How do orangutans live?

There’s often a misconception that orangutans live in large groups. Unlike gorillas and chimpanzees orangutans are actually fairly solitary animals. Male orangutans tend to live alone and females are usually only accompanied by their offspring.

How endangered are orangutans?

Sumatran orangutans are classified as critically endangered whereas the bornean species is classified as endangered. Today there are only around 50,000 orangutans remaining in the wild, compared to a figure of 315,000 in 1900. This is a huge fall of 80% and the figures are still declining. In terms of a numbers split, there are estimated to be just over 7,000 Sumatran orangutans in the wild, compared to around 45,000 Bornean orangutans.

Why are orangutans endangered?

The main reason for the rapid decline in orangutan populations is the loss of their habitat, the rainforest. Over the past 20 years 80% of their natural habitat has been destroyed due to logging and mining, leaving them with ever smaller areas to survive in.

How can you help?

To help directly you can adopt an orangutan. This starts from £3 a month and can make a real difference to conservation efforts. In terms of indirect help, using recycled paper helps as it means that there’s less pressure and demand for logging, and always try to make sure that the paper you buy doesn’t come from Malaysia or Indonesia.